How Do the Six Courses in the World Marathon Majors Differ?

While elites compete in the six annual races that make up the World Marathon Majors series for points awarded to top finishers (winners get $500,000), for the rest of us, bagging a Major is all about the experience – the ups and downs, the rights and the lefts. So when it comes to course profiles, how do these marathons compare to each other?

Click the buttons below the map to see courses and elevation profiles for the six races.

BMW Berlin Marathon
While Berlin is flat and fast, it's definitely not straight and boring; the course has 21 turns over 90 degrees. Despite all the shifts in direction, nine world records have been set here. A perk of all those turns is that the start and finish are only a half mile away from each other. This makes race day logistics easier and prevents the possibility of a headwind lasting the entire race.

Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Thanks to Chicago's flat and fast layout, four world records have been set here. Oddly, this event on the shores of Lake Michigan is–at an average of 590 feet above sea level–the highest of the Majors. From a logistical point of view, the distance between the start and finish lines is a very convenient, very walkable 0.75 miles (as the crow flies).

TCS New York City Marathon
An iconic course, the New York City Marathon traverses all five of the city's boroughs, starting in Staten Island and ending in Manhattan. Runners hit hills throughout much of the route, the most significant of which are bridges–the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at the start of the race and the Queensboro Bridge at mile 15.5. The start and finish are also 12.6 miles apart, which can be a bit of a logistical nightmare (for some runners).

Tokyo Marathon
The elevation profile of this race is similar to Boston's (see next graph), but less extreme. After dropping almost 120 feet in the first 3.5 miles, the course flattens out until hitting smaller hills late in the race. Runners navigate 20 turns over 90 degrees, including two 180-degree-turns. When viewed from above, the route looks like a squiggly plus sign.

Boston Marathon
The historic Boston Marathon course has changed little since the start moved to the town of Hopkinton in 1925. It's a point-to-point course with a net downhill, dropping 480 feet in elevation from start to finish. That's why the race is ineligible for world records – because runners can actually get a tailwind for 26.2 miles on a course that (mostly) has them running downhill. So even though Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai ran 2:03:02 in 2011 – the fastest marathon ever – it didn't count. With the start and finish lines almost 24 miles apart, logistics are a challenge: runners must get up early to catch a bus to the start, or face a long drive post-race.

Virgin Money London Marathon
After a big drop of around 120 feet in elevation during the third and fourth miles, the London Marathon course pretty much flattens out. Watch out for a spate of 13 turns of 90 degrees or more between mile 14 and 21.

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